Delhi LG approves proposal to send teachers to Finland for training

NEW DELHI: Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has given in-principle approval to the city government's proposal to send primary teachers of state-run schools to Finland for training, officials said on Saturday.

The LG's office has had run-ins with the government over several issues, including its scheme for sending school teachers to Finland for training. Saxena, in his approval, said he was okaying the proposal in the "interest of facilitating an executive decision – flawed that it may be, rather than joining issues to enable anarchic disruption".

Also Read | Delhi Deputy CM Sisodia writes to LG again, seeks approval of proposal to send teachers to Finland

He also noted that there was refusal by the Arvind Kejriwal government to bring on record the "impact assessment of the foreign training programmes conducted in the past", the officials said. "Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved the education department's proposal for a training programme of primary in-charges in Finland.

Taking the approach of equitable benefit for all, the LG has increased the number of primary in-charges, who were to proceed to Finland for training, from 52 to 87 so as to ensure equal representation of primary in-charges from all 29 administrative zones of the education department," an official from the LG's office said.

"With this, 87 primary in-charges -- three in-charges from each of the 29 administrative zones -- will be selected for the training programme, as against the 52 primary in-charges who were arbitrarily selected by the government," he said.

Also Read | LG 'withholding clearance' on proposal to send government teachers to Finland for training: Delhi Dy CM

The LG also said that training for teachers should be formulated in such a way that subsequent to such training, the teachers become "trainers of trainees and they train remaining primary in-charges and primary teachers of the Department", the official said. "This will mean that more and more teachers are trained and no student is deprived of the benefits derived out of this training programme," he added.

The LG took strong note of the fact that the education department "did not provide details" of analysis of similar programmes conducted in the past, despite being asked by him. "….I would like to underline that despite, myself having, duly and rightfully enquired about impact assessment on the learning outcomes of foreign training programmes conducted in the past and the desirability of examining and identifying similarly placed training programs in the institutes of excellence within the country, no comments have been offered by the Department/Hon'ble Minister thereto.

Also Read | NCTE launches four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme in 57 institutions

"It has been submitted in the note of Hon'ble Dy CM that all the analysis has been done and all aspects examined however, no details thereof have been brought on record in the file of such analysis and examination, whatsoever," the LG said in his approval. Saxena said there was a "vicious political campaign" run on the matter and despite everything that transpired, he was approving the proposal.

He further directed that classroom projects adopted by Finland in its educational institutions may be replicated for adopting their best practices and a virtual tour of these projects may be conducted as a regular exercise. "It should be ensured that the number of officers accompanying the primary in-charges does not exceed two in each cohort," the official said, quoting the directions by Saxena.

The LG has also directed that a report on the learning outcomes from the training should be submitted by each participant teacher and a comprehensive report may be submitted by the department in 15 days after the training programme, as is the prevalent practice with regard to foreign training programs conducted by governments.

Also Read | India has 1.17 lakh single-teacher government schools: Education Ministry

The approval came following the AAP government accusing the LG of "rejecting" the proposal for the training programme. "The decision was pending due to the AAP government's reluctance to provide details of the impact assessment and analysis of similar foreign training programmes funded by it in the past," the official stressed. The LG advised the government to adopt a fair and transparent selection process for identifying the organisers for the training programme.

"There is nothing on record to show as to what has been the selection procedure to identify the institute for organising the proposed training programmes," the official said. The LG has also suggested that for optimal utilisation of resources and maximizing the benefits of the training programmes, the organisers should conduct training in India itself for wider coverage in a shorter time span.